Northwest artist, Anthony D Padgett, has created a bronze bust of Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, in a bid to address the Northern / Southern imbalance of political leaders represented in major UK art galleries.
The impressive work was unveiled to the public at Manchester Art Fair this evening (November 21), where it will be available to see over the weekend (November 22 – 23).
Joining attendees at the event, one the UK’s largest and most significant art fairs, and first to see the work in the metal was the Mayor himself.
Speaking on the unveiling, the Greater Manchester Mayor said: “I’m a little lost for words, which doesn’t always happen, but I am, because it’s quite a thing to be confronted with a piece as powerful. It’s quite an emotional reaction to it in some ways. It’s a strange thing to come face-to-face with. I look very intense, like Everton has gone one nil down in the Merseyside Derby is what I look like.”
Adding on what it means to him, the Mayor said: “I’m truly honoured by what Anthony has done. No one has ever approached me with anything like this before and it was something that moved me quite a lot when he said he wanted to do it, and the reasons why he wanted to do it.
“To see the finished thing…the way Anthony puts it, as an artist of the North doing something on me, who has tried to dedicate my career to the North of England, it kind of matters. That partnership between us both spoke to me a little bit, I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else to do it.
The 56-year-old artist from Morecambe, Lancashire, was motivated to create the work further to seeing Burnham speak on the subject of Universal Basic Income back in 2022.
Inspired by his passion and personable nature, the Lancashire Representative of Artist Union England, contacted the Mayoral Office to see if the Greater Manchester Mayor would be happy to sit for the work and was delighted when the reply was a yes.
With all of Padgett’s work to date focussed on late poets and other notable figures, the bust is the artist’s first work of a living subject and one of which he is particularly proud.
Speaking on the significance of the work not just to him as an artist but for Manchester, a city with which he has a proud connection, Padgett said: “Politicians in London have a great profile. The same cannot often be said of regional leaders. I wanted to address this and promote figures of the North on a national scale.
“Having heard Andy speak, he was a natural choice. He’s a passionate advocate for the city and the North. It’s important that we positively address the regional divide. Manchester has a phenomenal cultural sector and is an economic powerhouse. It has a value in its own right, and this should be valued and appreciated.”
Work on the bronze bust commenced back in 2022, when Padgett first met with the Mayor of Greater Manchester to capture essential photographs and take measurements at the Mayoral Office.
From here a rough sculpture was created in Padgett’s studio at Birley Studios in Preston. A series of in-person sittings followed, slotted around the politician’s busy schedule, a time that afforded Padgett the opportunity to “capture the greatness of the Greater Manchester Mayor” and “put some real soul and expression into the work.”
Once happy with the clay sculpture, which sees every intricate feature of the leading politician captured in detail, a mould was created into which a cold cast bronze was poured.
The bust, which took over 40 hours to create and weighs 18kg, was completed in late summer 2025, with Padgett pleased to have the opportunity to unveil the work at Manchester Art Fair.
It’s an honour that is echoed by the Greater Manchester Mayor who said on the event: “This [Manchester Art Fair] is an amazing event, walking in at the opening and seeing the crowds coming in and wandering around. What an incredible celebration of Northern art. To be at such a prestigious event, it’s a moment I’ll never forget.”
The finished work will be gifted to a renowned UK gallery for display in its national collection, with details of the chosen gallery under wraps for now. A second bust will be gifted to the Greater Manchester Mayor, with a third to be retained by Padgett.
The North’s largest and most significant art fair, Manchester Art Fair has welcomed over 122,000 visitors since its inception in 2008, amassing over £7.8m in art sales. Showing a uniquely diverse mix of acclaimed galleries and independent artists, with a rich programme of artist talks, panel discussions, performances, and installations, it blurs the boundaries between the traditional and the contemporary, creating a friendly and unpretentious Northern art-buying experience.
